Kidnapped
by narut0
Summary: Sakura gets kidnapped by Kisame and Itachi. While she is their captive, she learns some things about Itachi. Rating may change later. Itachi is a bit OOC.
1. Bait

_**A/N: Alright! New fanfic! This story might not update everyday like **_**Struggle**_** because I want the chapters to be a little longer. Oh, and I'm making my own linebreaks because I'm not typing this on .**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters.**

_Sakura P.O.V_

I woke up on the cold stone floor. My back, head, neck, arms, and legs were in pain. I sat up and looked around. I was in a cell.

Why the _hell_ am I in a cell?

Then I remembered. I was with my team when Itachi and Kisame came out of nowhere and attacked us. They ran towards Naruto, and I got between Naruto and them. They kidnapped me.

I groaned in pain and frustration. Why would they take me? Wasn't Naruto their target? Maybe they took me just to get me out of the way. It was still weird. Just then someone opened the door to the room I was in.

When they walked in, I couldn't tell who it was because it's so dark in here. Whoever it was, they were heading towards me, and it made me nervous.

"Oh, you're awake." Said a scratchy voice. As soon as I heard it, I knew who it was.

Kisame Hoshigaki. One of my captors. He stared at me for a moment before smiling, showing me all of his razor sharp shark teeth.

"I came to check on you and make sure you were alive. I accidentality hit your head on a tree when I was carrying you here. Didn't know if it killed ya." He chuckled. That explains my killer headache.

"Anyway, I'll go tell the others you're awake." He said, and walked off.

After he walked off, I looked around my cell. It had a flat futon that didn't look like it would protect me from the floor at all. On the futon, was a flat pillow and a shaggy blanket that looked like a towel.

I walked over to the futon and sat on it. I tried to summon my chakra, but found out I couldn't. I noticed there is some sort of seal on my arm, so I'm guessing it's a chakra seal.

The door opened again, and this time Kisame _and _Itachi walked in. I scrunched my face in an ugly scowl and looked at Itachi. He regarded me calmly.

"Sakura Haruno," He addressed me, "you are the teammate of our target, Naruto Uzumaki, correct?"

"Yes," I spat back, "why?" I despised this man. He ruined Sasuke's life. He ruined Sasuke's,Naruto's, and mine.

"We are using you as..." He paused, "bait to lure him to us, so we can capture him. He obviously cares about you, seeing as he was screaming when we toom you, so he will come to save you."

Of course. What a devious plan. But, I have to give him credit for coming up with such a brilliant plan. I wanted to be saved a minute ago, but now I don't. I'd rather stay captured for the rest of my life, or better yet _die_, before Naruto got captured by the Akatsuki.

Itachi walked over to my cell. I noticed he was holding a plate of food and a glass of water. He opened my cell door just enough for him to slide it through, then closed it again quickly.

"Why should I trust you haven't poisoned it?" I asked. I already knew the answer, but I was just trying to be difficult.

His face remained void of any emotion as he replied, "We wouldn't try to kill our bait, but it's up to you to starve or not." Then he walked away, Kisame in tow.

After he walked away, Sakura stared at the food. She had to admit, it smelled and looked delicious. The food consisted of: rice, shrimp tempura, and sesame green beans. The most temping was the shrimp tempura, her favorite.

_Mmmm, shrimp tempura... He couldn't have poisoned it right? _She thought. With

With that thought, she dived in to the food.

**XX-LINEBREAK LINEBREAK LINEBREAK LINEBREAK LINEBREAK-XXXX**

After she finished her food, she walked over to the uncomfortable futon. She laid down on it and started thinking.

_Bait...I'm bait... Just my luck. _She thought.

_Why do _I _have to be bait... Man, Naruto, Kakashi, all of you guys, don't come save me! I'll find a way out of here myself! _

With that thought, she fell into a troublesome sleep.

**XXX-LINEBREAK LINEBREAK LINEBREAK LINEBREAK LINEBREAK-XXX**

_**A/N: Alright. Hopefully I can get another chapter up soon...**_


	2. Dream

_**A/N: Have any of you read the new **_**Naruto**_** chapter? My bro says it's copying **_**Code Geass**_**. I don't watch that, so I wanna know your opinion. Review and tell me what you think.**_

**XXXX-LINEBREAK LINEBREAK LINEBREAK LINEBREAK LINEBREAK-XXX**

_Sakura P.O.V_

**DREAM SCENE**

_The Akatsuki just kidnapped Naruto. We were running after them, but we were behind. They drugged us with some sort of smoke, so we were passed out for about an hour. Luckily, when we woke up, Kakashi summoned his dogs to track their scent. _

_I was starting to lose hope when their base came into view. We busted through the doors, and came to the scene of Naruto lying almost dead on the floor. I ran over and checked is vital signs. He had a 15% chance of living. _

_"Sakura..." He whispered, "You were too late...You failed." Then he died._

_"SAKURA!" Kakashi yelled from behind me. He eye had a look of anger in it. "You failed! You are worthless! You have been since the beginning!" _

_"No..." I mumbled._

_"Sakura," Sai said, "Naruto was my only friend...YOU LET HIM DIE!" _

_"NOOOO!" I screamed._

**END DREAM SCENE**

I woke up in a cold sweat. That dream was one of the scariest I've had yet. It was so realistic. It made me want to get out of here and help protect Naruto more than ever.

I noticed the tears in my eyes. I wiped them away furiously, but more just kept on coming. I gave up and buried my face in the flat pillow, sobbing.

I didn't know someone had walked in until they asked, "Why were you screaming, hmm?" I looked up and saw a man with blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked irritated. I recognised him as Deidara, he was with Sasori and helped kidnap Gaara.

"Well? Are you gonna answer me, hmm?" He asked impatiently.

"Umm," I sputtered for words. I didn't want to tell him that I had a nightmare and appear weak. He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, hmm. I'm going back to bed." He said, and walked off.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

I didn't sleep for the rest of the night, I realized, as the door opened and Itachi walked in. He walked slowly over to my cell, and peered down at me. Then he opened the door and took my wrists.

I pulled them back by instinct. I didn't know what this crazy man was gonna do! He could slit my wrists and let me bleed to death for all I knew!

He turned his gaze to stare at me in the eyes. I noticed he didn't have his Sharingan on. His eyes were a deep black, like Sasuke's, but had a sort of haze over them, unlike Sasuke's. I realized it was because he was going blind. I knew he was, but I didn't think it was that bad.

"I'm just putting on handcuffs." He said casually, like putting on handcuffs was a normal thing someone did everyday.

_'He probably does.' _I thought, and laughed inwardly.

I let him put them on, and he guided me out the room. I looked around. The hallway was dark, save for a few torches every so often. In the dark corridor, were doors. Each door had a name on it. These must be the rooms of the Akatsuki members.

At the end of the hallway, was the living room. To the left was the kitchen, and straight ahead was another hallway. To the right, was another door. I couldn't guess what was behind it.

Itachi turned left and led me into the kitchen. In there was all the Akatsuki members. I haven't seen them all before. The ones I recognised were: Deidara, Kisame, and Itachi. The others were: a man with gray hair, a man with green eyes and a mask, a man with an odd swirly mask, a plant thing that had a half black half white person inside, a man with spiky orange hair and weird piercings, and a woman with purple hair.

Itachi showed me to one of the empty seats, then took the one next to me. The man with spiky orange hair, who I'm assuming is the leader said.

"Sakura Haruno, I would like to make a deal."

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

_**A/N: Ooooh! What's the deal? This chapter was kinda slow, I know. But, it's gonna get going soon. **_


	3. Deal

_**A/N: OK. So, no one reads the author's notes huh? That's good to know I guess. I read them when I read a story. I guess it will be my last A/N then if no one reads them.**_

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

_Sakura P.O.V_

"The deal is," Pain went on, "you will be the Akatsuki's medic, and we will let you out of your cell and allow you to leave the base. Under a member's supervision, of course."

I was shocked. Did he really think I would betray the Leaf like that? Being the Akatsuki's medic will help them live longer, helping them catch more jinchurikis. Helping them catch Naruto.

But, then again, if they let me leave the base, albeit under supervision, it may give me a chance to escape. Even if I'm under supervision, I could distract them, and escape.

It was a tough decision.

"You can take a few days to think about it." Pain said. I nodded; I would need a time to think about a hard decision like this.

"You have exactly 2 days to think about it. No more. If you do not answer me in 2 days, I will assume it's a no." With that he stood up, the woman right behind him. The other Akatsuki members took that as a sign to leave, and left, too. The only ones left were Itachi and I.

"Would you like to shower?" He asked. I was a little shocked he asked met that. He must have seen it on his face because he asked, "Leader told me to ask you. Kisame and I are in charge of you."

Oh, so he wasn't just being nice. Then again, why would I expect that from Itachi? I nodded.

"I will show you were the shower is at, and get you some spare clothes."

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

When we got to the bathroom he Itachi told me, "You have 10 minutes to shower. If you go over that, I will send Kisame in here, and he will probably kill you." Then he left.

I turned on the water, set it to the temperature I wanted, and got undressed. I stepped in the water and looked at the shampoo. There were only 2 scents I liked, strawberry and apple. I chose the apple, and started washing my hair.

After I was finished with my shower, I looked at the spare clothes Itachi brought me. They were just a plain black t-shirt, and black ninja pants. I felt uncomfortable wearing them, but it was either that or my old dirty ones. I chose the spare ones.

They were a little big for me, but not too much. I didn't know what to do now, so I just waited for Itachi or Kisame to come.

Then a thought occurred to me. This was the perfect time to escape. I opened the door and-

Came face-to-stomach with Kisame. I looked up and saw him grinning down at me.

"Now where do you think you're going, blossom?" He asked. I didn't appreciate the nick name.

"Not gonna answer me, huh? Alright, it's time to go back to go back to your cell." He took me roughly by my wrist, and practically dragged me down the hallway. When we got to my cell, he threw me in there.

"Itachi will bring you some food soon." Kisame said, and walked off.

_'Stupid, Stupid!' _I thought to myself. _'That was the perfect chance to escape, and I just wasted it! I'm an idiot!' _I banged my head against the wall. How could I be so foolish?

"Why are you doing that?" A voice from behind me asked. I whipped around to see Itachi, carrying a plate of food. He walked in my cell, set the food down, then closed the door. He stared at me from outside the cell.

"What?" I asked harshly. His staring was creeping me out.

"You never answered my question." He said. Was that a hint of irritation in his voice? I don't know. But I do know he _is _irritating _me_.

"I don't have to if I don't want to!" I yelled at him, my voice laced with anger. He glared at me, his Sharingan spinning.

"I would be careful and watch what you say to us, kunoichi." His voice was threatening. I just glared at his back as he walked away.

Stupid Itachi.


	4. Answer

_Sakura P.O.V_

**2 DAYS LATER**

Sakura was ready. Today was the day that she would give her answer to Pain's (Itachi told her his name) deal. She sat on her futon, waiting for someone to come bring her to him.

_Creak _

Itachi walked in.

"Do you have your answer?" He asked. I nodded and stood. He came and handcuffed me, then grabbed my wrist. I pulled back.

He's never done _that_ before.

He seemed to read my mind because he said, "Pain wants to make sure you're not going to attack." I nodded, then hesitantly let him grab me by the wrist.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

Once we entered the kitchen, I saw Pain sitting at the head of the table. He looked up at us once we entered.

"Do you have an answer?" He asked. I shook my head yes, then took a deep breath to prepare myself.

"I agree to be your medic." I said in a shaky voice. It took me awhile to come up with that decision. I knew I was betraying the Leaf, but it was my only hope to escape by myself.

Pain smirked and nodded. "I'm glad you came to that decision." Then his face turned serious. "If you betray the Akatsuki, we won't hesitate to kill you." I tensed and nodded. Was this the case for everyone?

He turned to Itachi. "Take her to the empty room. That will be her new room. Then show her around the base." Itachi nodded and started to turn around, when Pain stopped him.

"Oh, and don't forget to get her a cloak." I froze. _Cloak? _I had to wear that horrible _cloak?_ That's really betraying the Leaf. I was about to cry.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

Itachi opened the door to the room I was going to be staying in. He flicked on the lights, and showed me around. This bed looked _way _more comfortable. It was probably alot better for my back.

"My room is to the right, and Deidara's is to the left. The bathroom is across the hall." Itachi said. He walked out, and I followed.

He showed me the living room, which consisted of: A couch, 2 recliners, a coffee table, and a bookshelf. I doubt anyone uses the bookshelf, because it looks dusty.

Next, he showed me the kitchen. The kitchen was big. It had a refrigerator/freezer, a large table, and all the other basic kitchen stuff. The man with gray hair and Kisame were in the kitchen. They looked drunk, and had bottles of beer spread across the table.

After that, he showed me what was behind that mysterious door. Appearantly, it was a training ground. It was a large field outside, with a tall wooden fence surrounding it.

He didn't walk me all the way down the other corridor, but he told me in there was Pain and Konan's room, and Tobi's room.

"Who's Tobi?" I asked.

"The man with the orange mask." He replied.

He also said that the exit was that way, that's why I'm not allowed down this hallway without supervision.

After the tour, he left me to my own accords. I decided to pick a book off the bookshelf and do a little reading.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

_KNOCK KNOCK_

Who could that be? I looked at the clock. It read _6:00PM_. It must be dinner time.

I opened the door to see Kisame. He looked grumpy. I guess he had a headache from all the alcohol.

"Dinner's ready." He mumbled. I followed him to the kitchen, preparing myself for my first dinner with a group of S-class criminals.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**


	5. Discovery

_Sakura P.O.V_

When I walked in the kitchen, every member of the Akatsuki was sitting at the table. Most of them were arguing with each other. The only ones that weren't yelling were Pain, the woman with the purple hair, and Itachi. But once I sat down, Pain cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention.

"Everyone, this is our new member, Sakura Haruno." Pain announced.

"Tch. She looks weak to me." The man with the green eyes and the mask said.

"That's what you said about Itachi, and he proved you wrong." Kisame said back. The other man just shrugged.

"Everyone introduce yourself. I'm Pain, but you will just call me Leader."

"I'm Konan."

"You already know me." Said Kisame. They skipped Itachi.

"Hidan."

" I'm Kakuzu, watch yourself."

"I'M DEIDARA,HMM!"

"Tobi is Tobi."

"I'm Zetsu." When he said that it was kinda weird because both sides said it at the same time.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

After dinner, which was rowdy, Itachi took me to get my cloak. I was nervous. I _really _didn't want to wear it.

When we reached the closet that had them, I realized it was going to be worse than I thought. I had to wear a special shirt, pants, _and _a cloak! When Itachi handed them to me, I got tears in my eyes.

"You don't have to wear them all the time. Only when you're leaving the base." He said. It helped a little bit, but not really.

"How come you wear your's all the time then?" I asked. He tensed and clenched his jaw.

"...I don't have anything else to wear." He mumbled with his head down. Then he shoved the clothes in my hands.

"Also, you have to cross out your headband." He said, almost like to get back at me. The tears fell at that. _Cross out my headband?! _Was he _serious?!_

He seemed to sense my problem with it, because then he said, "Or you can just not wear one at all." I sighed in relief at that. I don't think I would've been able to _touch _my headband with a kunai.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

I stared at myself in the mirror, looking at my new clothes. I wasn't to fond of the fishnet undershirt or the cloak, but everything else wasn't that bad. I sighed. Atleast I only had to wear it when I left.

I looked at the clock.

_8:30 PM_

Still early. I didn't have anything else to do. It's not like I wanted to go out there and hang out with a bunch of criminals. I decided I would go to bed early.

I changed my clothes, and laid down in the bed. It was _way _more comfortable than that old futon. Maybe even more comfortable than my bed at home. I snuggled up in the blankets and got comfortable.

I was just about to fall asleep when I heard coughing. It sounded wet and painful. My eyes shot open and I growled in anger. That's when I remembered I was the Akatsuki's medic. I bit my lip and climbed out of bed.

I opened the door and listened. I sounded like it was coming from... _Itachi's _room? I walked over to his door, and put my ear against it.

_COUGH COUGH HACK!_

Yep, definitely. I slowly turned the door knob and opened the door. The scene I walked into was surprising.

Itachi was sitting hunched over in bed with his hand pressed against his mouth. He looked like he was in alot of pain, and he wouldn't stop coughing. He was clenching the sheets so hard his knuckles were white. He looked pale, and had sweat coming down his forehead.

I ran over and took his hand away from his mouth. His eyes shot open, and he looked at me. I looked down at his hand and saw blood. My eyes widened and I looked him in the eye. There was a moment of silence before he started coughing again. I put my hands against his chest, and my hands started glowing green with medical chakra. I closed my eyes and started my examination of his lungs.

When I was finished my eyes widened and my jaw dropped. I looked at Itachi. He had his head down and his eyes closed. I couldn't believe it.

Itachi Uchiha was sick with a deathly disease.


	6. How Long?

_Sakura P.O.V_

I stared at Itachi with my eyes wide and my mouth wide open. He just looked away. He looked ashamed.

"...how long?" I asked timidly. He swallowed.

"4 years." He mumbled in reply.

_4 years? _He's suffered from this disease for _4 years? _And,from the looks of it, he hasn't gotten it treated.

"Have you seen a medic about it?" I asked. He shook his head no.

"Does anyone even _know_ about it?" I was getting a little irritated now. I thought this man was supposed to be a genius. Didn't he _know_ it was going to get worse if it wasn't treated?

Again, no. What an _idiot!_ I feel like slapping him right now! I sighed.

"Let me get a better look at it. It's a slim chance I'll be able to do anything about it, though." I shook my head.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

After I finished my examination, I sighed and shook my head. It was a lost cause. He was lucky he survived this long without medical attention.

"It's hopeless. You're lucky you lived this long." I said. To my surprise he just shrugged. Did he care about his health at _all?!_

"I've been taking medication." He explained.

"May I see it?" I wanted to know what he was taking to survive this horrible illness.

He pulled out a drawer from the bedside table. He pulled out 2 pill bottles and handed them to me. I read the labels, and it took all my self-control not to punch him in the face.

"Pain killers and cough suppressants? This is just over-the-counter medicine! This isn't what I pictured when you said you were taking medication!" I nearly screamed. His only response was a shrug.

"Why do you even care?" He asked.

I froze. He was right. Why _did_ I care? This was the man who killed his whole clan just to test his power!

But, even if I really _didn't _care, I had to act like I did. I was the Akatsuki's medic after all.

"Because it's my duty as the Akatsuki's medic." I replied with as much sincerity as I could muster. Which was wasn't much because it was a lie. He smirked.

"Hn."

I stood up and walked over to the door. I took one last look at Itachi before I said,

"I would like to do daily check-ups on you. I'll be back here tomorrow night." With that, I walked out.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

When I woke up the next morning, I looked at the clock. _6:37 AM. _Still early. I sighed. What was I supposed to do until everyone else woke up?

I sat up and stretched. When I stretched, I got a view of the seal on my arm. When I saw the seal, it sparked my interest.

It obviously wasn't a chakra seal, because I was able to use my chakra last night when I examined Itachi. What was it then? I decided I would ask someone later.

I decided I would kill some time by showering. I haven't showered since the day Pain offered me the deal. That was 3 days ago now, and I feel disgusting.

I tiptoed across the hall into the bathroom. I started the shower and got undressed.

**XXX-LINBREAK-XXX**

By the time I finished my shower, a few members were up. I went to my room, got dressed, and went into the living room.

Time to see what S-class criminals do in the morning.


	7. Breakfast

_Sakura P.O.V_

When I walked into the living room, it was a ruckus. It smelled like burnt pancakes and spoiled milk. Hidan and Deidara were arguing, Tobi was walking around with a bowl on his head, and Kisame and Kakuzu were washing the burnt pancake mix off a pan. I stood there holding back laughter.

"Hey, Blossom! Do you know how to make pancakes?" Kisame called from the kitchen, getting my attention. Suddenly, all eyes were on me. I tensed under all the attention.

"Umm...Yeah." I replied quietly.

"Well then, get over here and make us some breakfast!"

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

"MMM! These are actually surprisingly good,hmm!" Deidara exclaimed.

"Surprisingly?!" I said with my hand on my hip, faking like I was offended. Everyone just laughed. I was actually having a good time. Just then, Itachi walked in and I realized something.

There wasn't enough pancakes for him.

I pursed my lips. Should I feel bad? I mean, it was his fault for waking up so late. I tried not to fell bad, but when he started looking around for something else to eat, I couldn't help it.

"I can make you some pancakes if you want." I blurted out without thinking. He turned to look at me. Everyone stopped eating and looked at me in surprise.

"It's fine." He mumbled. He grabbed an apple, and left. The way he said it made me feel worse.

"Why did you offer him that?" Deidara asked.

"Yeah, he's always fucking late for damn breakfast." Hidan said. I just shrugged.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

After breakfast, I found myself knocking on Itachi's door. I didn't even know why I was doing this. I guess I just wanted to apologize for earlier.

But why? I had no reason to feel bad. Hidan said he's always late for breakfast, so it's his fault he didn't get to eat pancakes.

"Do you need something?" Itachi asked. I jumped, I didn't even realize the door opened.

"Umm..." I sputtered for words before I thought of something. "I'm here to ask you about this seal on my arm. He moved out of the doorway to let me in. I walked over to the bed and sat on the edge of it awkwardly.

"Start." He commanded.

"So, at 1st, I thought it was a chakra seal. But, I used chakra on you last night, so it's obviously not that. What kind of seal is it?" I asked. He nodded.

"It's a seal where when you attempt to leave the base, it notifies us." He explained. I nodded. It makes sense.

"Thank you." I said, and left.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

"Hey, girl, you wanna spar?" Hidan asked. I looked at him, surprised. He smirked. "Don't think I feel like you're a worthy fucking opponent, I'm just so damn bored."

"Sure." I said with a grin. I would've declined, but I just want to prove him wrong.

Thus begins my 1st spar with an Akatsuki member.


	8. Spar

_Sakura P.O.V_

I have to admit, I'm pretty excited for this spar. Hidan is looking at me from across the training field with a smirk on his face. Deidara and Kisame are standing to the side.

"Alright," Deidara called, "Ready...GO!"

I charged at Hidan, while he just stood there grinning at me. I ran up to him and threw a punch, he dodged it. I kept throwing punches and kicks, while he kept dodging them.

Finally, I got irritated that I kept missing. I yelled, "CHERRY BLOSSOM CLASH!" I threw my fist at the ground beneath him. It created a hole, and dirt flew up and hit him.

I stood there panting. I was proud of myself. Once the smoke cleared up, I saw Hidan lying on the ground. I smirked.

Hidan sat up with a grunt. He rubbed his head and glared at me.

"Alright, bitch, I was going easy on you. I admit you're not as weak as I thought. But since your not... Time to step it up a bit." Hidan said.

He stood up and grabbed his scythe. He smiled at my weary look. Then, he charged.

"Time for another ritual!" He yelled.

_Ritual? _What does he mean by _ritual?_

I watched as he charged at me. Then, reality hit me. I screamed and ran away. He chuckled and chased me.

Where are the trees in this training ground?

The chasing went on for about 2 minutes before Deidara said, "Come _on!_ Quit playing tag and start _fighting!"_ Hidan smirked and teleported.

I panicked when I realized he was behind me. He held the scythe up to my neck and mumbled, "Goodbye." And then-

I was picked up.

_What?_

"You were really going to kill our medic, Hidan?" A voice asked. I realized it was Itachi. I opened my eyes (When did I close them?) and looked up at him. Surprisingly, he wasn't wearing his cloak or headband.

"I-Itachi?" Kisame asked. He sounded just as shocked as I was. Why would Itachi save me?

Itachi stood up and set me down. He turned around to face Hidan, and I followed. Hidan was frowning. He looked disappointed and angry.

"Tsk. You had no right to interfere in our spar." He spat out. Itachi just walked away. I followed him.

Once we were inside I said, "Thank you." He turned around, and for a second, looked shocked. It went away quickly, and he nodded. He was about to head for his room when I stopped him.

"Wait!"

He turned around and looked at me expectantly. I cleared my throat and said, in my medic voice, "I would like to do that check up now." He nodded.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

Once we were in his room, I told him to sit on the bed. He did, and I sat in front of him.

"Alright, I'm going to need you to take your shirt off," I said. He looked at me, and I sighed.

"Look, how am I going to do a check-up on your _chest_ when you have your shirt on?" He hesitated, but then reluctantly complied.

I took one look at his chest, and gasped.


	9. Check-Up

_Sakura P.O.V_

I stared at his chest with my eyes wide and my mouth hanging open. I couldn't _believe _that _Itachi Uchiha's_ upper body looked this horrible. He had protruding ribs, a sunken stomach, and many, many scars.

I looked up at his face. He was looking away and biting his lip. He looked ashamed.

"Umm... I have more medical questions for you." I said in a small voice. He nodded and looked at me. I cleared mt throat and began.

"How many times a day do you eat?" I asked.

"One." He replied.

"_One?! _You only eat _once _a day?! You realize you're supposed to eat _three_ times a day, right? What meal is it?"

"Dinner, usually."

I sighed. "Eat more. OK, next question. Where are all those scars from?" He looked at me like I was stupid.

"I used to be ANBU. Getting hurt wasn't uncommon." He replied.

"You used to be ANBU?" I asked. I didn't know that. He nodded.

"Captain." That really surprised me.

"How old are you?" I asked.

"Why do you need to know that?"

"Just answer the question." I snapped back irritably.

"21."

"Really? How old were you when you left the village?"

"I thought these were medical questions."

He had a point. I don't need to be in his business.

"Sorry," I said, "Do you know how much you weigh?" He shook his head.

"Do you have a scale?" I knew it was an odd question, but I didn't have one. He shook his head.

"Alright. I guess I'll start your check-up." I put my hands, glowing green with medical chakra, against his chest.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

"Alright," I said, "done."

The check-up took about 10 minutes, and I wasn't pleased with the results. Itachi looked at me expectantly.

"I don't have a diagnostic. I have _no idea_ what this is. I've never seen anything like this." I shook my head, sadly. He just shrugged.

"I guess I'll see you later then." With that, I walked out.

When I walked into the hallway, I saw Kisame walking down it.

"Blossom? What were you doing in Itachi's room?" He asked. I flinched. I knew Itachi didn't want anyone to know about his illness. I have to respect his privacy.

"Not gonna answer me, huh? Anyway, dinner's done. Tell Itachi for me, will ya?" I nodded, and knocked on Itachi's door. He opened it and looked at me curiously.

"Dinner's done." I said.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

Dinner was way more calmer than breakfast. Probably because Pain and Konan were present this time. No one was yelling or messing around. Itachi sat down, and I took the seat next to him.

I looked at my plate. We were having Udon. I looked around at everyone else, seeing if they were eating, too. Once I saw that everyone else was, I grabbed my chopsticks, and dug in. I was delicious.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

After dinner, I picked a book off the bookshelf, and went to my room. I sat down on the bed and sighed. I opened my book and started reading.

I was in the middle of the climax, when I heard a noise. I stopped reading, and listened. There it was a gain. It sounded like-

A sob.


	10. Questions

_Sakura P.O.V_

A _sob? _Who in the Akatsuki would cry? They're all heartless murderers, there's no _way_ one would be crying. I must be hearing things.

No.. Wait... There it is again. Where's it coming from?

I put down my book and sat up. I listened for the sound.

_Sob sob hiccup_

There it is! I walked out into the hallway and listened closer. It's coming from...

_Itachi's _room?! This guy keeps surprising me.

I walked over to his door and knocked on it softly. The crying stopped. It took a minute, but finally Itachi opened the door. His eyes were red, and not from the Sharingan.

"Do you need something?" He asked in a stuffy voice. I looked down awkwardly. What was I supposed to say? If I told him I heard him crying, he'd probably either kill me, or deny it.

"Umm... I-I just wanted to talk to you..." I stuttered out. It was the only thing I could think of at the moment. Surprisingly, Itachi moved out of the doorway to let me in.

I walked in and stood there awkwardly. I didn't really know what to do. There was no place to sit beside the bed, and I wasn't going to sit there without permission. It just felt rude.

Itachi walked in and sat on the bed, leaning against the frame. He motioned for me to have a seat. I sat on the edge awkwardly, not even looking him.

"How are you going to talk to me without facing me? You can put your feet on the bed, if you'd like." Itachi stated. I turned around and looked at him. He looked like he was trying to relax, but couldn't.

"Why are you so tense?" I blurted out. After I realized what I just asked, I blushed. He just tensed up more. Way to go Sakura.

"S-sorry." I apologized.

"What did you want to talk about?" He asked. That's when I realized I didn't really _have_ anything I wanted to talk about. I just said I wanted to talk because I had to think up of an excuse as to why I knocked on his door.

"Uh... I don't really know. I was just bored." I replied with a shrug. "Why don't you start."

He looked at me like I was crazy. I realized that I said that to one of the most antisocial people I've ever met. The other one being Sasuke. After awhile, I gave up.

"Alright, fine. I'll ask you some questions, and you answer." I said. He nodded.

"OK umm... What's your favorite color?"

He thought about for a moment, then said, "Black or Navy blue."

"Those are kinda dark colors, don't ya think?" He just shrugged. "OK. Next question." I thought about it for a moment. Once I thought about it, I asked, "Do you like Kisame?"

He looked kinda shocked at this one. "A little," he said, "I mean, he's alright. We don't really talk much."

"Why not?"

"Well... Akatsuki partners aren't as close as you are to your team. We just get the mission done."

I thought about it. I don't really understand it. You would think that if you were partners for as long as Itachi and Kisame were, you would know talk alot more to each other. I just shrugged. Then, another question popped into my head.

"How long have you been in the Akatsuki for?" I asked.

"8 years." He replied quickly.

"8 years? But... You're only 21. How old were you when you joined?"

_How old were you when you killed your clan and ruined Sasuke's life? _I thought, but of course didn't say it out loud. He looked down.

"...13..." He mumbled. My eyes widened.

"That's so young! You were only 13 when you-" I stopped short, catching myself before I said something that may offend him. He already knew what I was going to say, though.

"I was only 13 when I killed my clan? Yes. I know young." He said.

"I-I I'm sorry." I apologized for the second time this evening. He shook his head.

"There's no need to apologize."

I looked away. Then, I got angry. Why would he kill his clan just for power?! He was young! Sasuke was young! There was no need for that!

"Why the hell did you kill your clan?!" I realized my mistake as soon as the words left my mouth.


	11. Thoughts

_Sakura P.O.V_

I'm such an idiot! I _already _know why he slaughtered his entire clan! Why would I ask such a thing! I sat there with my hands over my mouth, waiting for my death. I knew Itachi would be angry that I asked that.

But... Surprisingly he didn't look angry. He looked shocked. Maybe even a little confused. His eyes were wide and his teeth were clenched. He just stared at me, not even blinking.

Suddenly, Itachi started coughing. He put his hand over his mouth, clenched his eyes, and bent his head down. I quickly got out of my state of shock, and scrambled over to help him. I sat him upright so he was leaning against the bed frame, and put my hands over his chest.

I put some of my medical chakra in his lungs, where the disease is, to sooth the pain. That didn't stop the coughing, though. I tried healing it, but to no avail. I can't heal it if I don't know exactly where the disease is centered.

I gave up, and just started rubbing soothing circles on his back. It took about 3 minutes before the coughing cleared. His breath was still rough and he was wheezing afterwards.

It was silent except for the sound of Itachi's rough breathing. It was very uncomfortable and awkward. I was the one who decided to break the silence.

"Are you alright?" I asked. He nodded.

"I'm used to them coming on so suddenly." The silence continued for a moment after he said that.

"Why... Would you ask a question like that?" Itachi suddenly asked. He was looking down at his hands, his hair hiding his face.

"I...I really don't know," I said slowly, "I was just angry at the moment, and I blurted it out."

He nodded, then looked up to face me. "It's getting late. You should go to bed."

I nodded. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Sakura."

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

I sat in my bed, thinking about all that happened tonight. The conversation was going so well. That is, until I asked that stupid question.

Was it really stupid though? I mean, why would a thirteen-year-old kill his family _just_ to "test his abilities?" It just didn't seem realistic.

Then again, I already knew the answer. Itachi is a selfish person. The Uchiha are selfish people.

Maybe I should have re-worded the question. Like, "Did you _only_ kill your clan to test your abilities?" Or, "Did you only have one motive for killing your clan?" It was just angry talk, I guess.

I flopped down on my bed and sighed. I know things are going to be awkward between Itachi and I now. I looked at the clock, _11:07 PM_. Wow, I was in Itachi's room for that long? I closed my eyes, and fell asleep.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

Ugh. Who's knocking on my door at this early in the morning? I rolled over and looked at the clock: _11:42 AM._

OK...Maybe not so early. I got out of bed and opened the door. Kisame was standing there with a grin on his face.

"What do you want?" I asked sleepily. He chuckled.

"Rough night last night huh, Blossom? You missed breakfast. Anyway, me, you, and Itachi are supposed to go into town today to get food."

I woke up at that. This is going to be my perfect chance to escape.

"OK. I'll get ready." I said.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

I walked out of my room with my horribly ugly Akatsuki clothes on. Without my headband. It felt really weird not having it on. It was tucked in the pocket of my cloak, so I would have it when I escaped.

I walked into the living room, where Kisame and Itachi were sitting. They were waiting patiently for me. I cleared my throat to get there attention.

"I'm ready." I announced.

"No you're not," Pain suddenly came out from the other hallway, "I have to undo your seal before you leave."

He walked over with chakra glowing on the palm of his hand. He pressed down on my seal, and it vanished.

"Now you are ready. I'm assuming I don't have to remind you not to try and escape? They won't hesitate to kill you if you do." He stated. I nodded, playing along.

Kisame and Itachi led me into the forbidden hallway, and to the front door. I was really excited for my escape.


	12. Outside

_Sakura P.O.V_

When I stepped outside, I took a long breath of fresh air. It felt good to be outside. It was sunny, and birds were chirping. It made me happy. I didn't know where we were, though.

"Where are we?" I asked. Kisame and Itachi turned to look at me.

"Why? So you can message your team and tell them where you are?" Kisame said. For some reason, I knew they were gonna suspect that.

I shook my head. "Not at all," I explained, "I was just curious."

"Well, too bad." Kisame spat back. I clenched my fists.

"Let's just complete the mission." Itachi suddenly butt in. Kisame and I, shocked, just nodded our heads.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

Once we reached our destination, a small civilian village, we planned out what we were gonna do.

"Leader said we may have to stay the night," Kisame explained, "If that's the case, where do you wanna stay?"

"Kisame, there's only one inn in the whole town. Where else are we going to stay?" Itachi said. Kisame stuttered, and I giggled.

"Let's just go to the store." Kisame grumbled.

When we walked into the grocery store, we were greeted by a short, cheery woman with a brown ponytail.

"Welcome! If you need any help, just ask."

We walked around, pocking out food that Pain had the list for us. I was a little sad we didn't have any extra money to buy snacks. The only food he had on the list was stuff to make meals with.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

"How many rooms would you like?" The clerk at the inn asked. We finished our shopping and had dinner, now we were inside the inn, getting hotel rooms.

Itachi started counting our money, seeing how many rooms we could afford. I was really hoping we has enough for three. It was already decided that if there was only enough for two, I would have to share a room with somone.

"Two rooms please." Itachi stated.

Just my luck.

We paid our payment, got the keys, and headed towards our rooms. We stopped right in front of them, and they turned to look at me.

"Who would you like to share a room with?" Itachi asked. I blushed and looked down.

"…you…" I mumbled. Kisame smirked.

"You two have been acting real suspicious lately." He said. My head shot up and my eyes widened. Itachi narrowed his eyes at him. We all knew what he was getting at.

"What the hell?! Why would you even think that?!" I practically screamed. To be honest, that kinda offended me. Why would I sink so low as to date Itachi?! That would just be too weird. I still love Sasuke.

"Alright, alright. I was just playin with ya." He put his hands up, grinning. He went into his room, leaving Itachi and I alone.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

Once we showered and changed, Itachi and I discussed where we would sleep. There was only one bed, so we either had to share the bed, or one of us had to sleep on the floor.

"So… what do you wanna do?" I asked. I really didn't want to share a bed, but I didn't want to sleep on the floor. I doubted Itachi would sleep on the floor.

"You can have the bed." Itachi said, proving me wrong. My mouth fell open in surprise.

"R-Really? A-Are you sure?" I stuttered. He just shrugged.

"You're the woman, it would be rude if I didn't let you have the bed." He replied.

"What?! You're doing this just because I'm a woman?!" I knew he meant it with good intentions, but I couldn't help but be offended. I hated being judged by my gender.

"Would you like the floor?" Itachi asked, somewhat surprised.

"No…" I mumbled. He smirked and got his bed roll out. I noticed he didn't bring any extra blankets or a pillow.

"I'm going to ask the clerk for an extra blanket." He said.

When he came back he was blanket-less. He looked a bit frustrated, too.

"They didn't have any?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer. He shook his head and laid down on his bed roll.

I laid on my bed, feeling bad. I felt like I should offer him to sleep on the bed with me, but I didn't want to. I didn't have an extra blanket either.

I decided not to worry about it and fell asleep.


	13. Forgot

_Sakura P.O.V_

I woke up to the sound of shuffling. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I almost forgot I was with the Akatsuki, again. Once I saw Itachi, though, I remembered.

"Sorry if I woke you up." Itachi said. He was already dressed and was packing up.

"It's alright. What time is it?" I asked.

"About 9:00."

I nodded my head and got out of bed. I grabbed my clothes and went into the bathroom to change.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

When I walked out of the bathroom, I saw Itachi sitting on the bed. He looked at me, and I nodded. With that, we went to go get Kisame and leave.

We walked across the hallway and Itachi knocked on Kisame's door. Kisame came out, and we headed off.

"Do you wanna stop for breakfast?" Kisame asked once we left the inn. Itachi shook his head.

"We can't."

"Yeah we can. I have some extra money."

"What?!" I butt in, "You're telling me we could've gotten another room?!" That made me mad. I wouldn't have had to share a room with Itachi!

Kisame scratched the back of his head and grinned. "Well... Yeah kinda."

My face turned red in anger. I could tell Itachi was pissed, too. He had the 'I-will-kill-you-in-your-sleep' look on his face. He had a reason to. If we had an extra room, he wouldn't have had to sleep on the floor.

"Hey, hey. Calm yourselves. I mean wouldn't you way rather have breakfast?" Kisame said. I thought about it. He had a point.

"See? I told ya." And with that, we headed to breakfast.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

After we had breakfast, which I practically had to force Itachi to eat, we went back to the hideout. We gave Pain the groceries, and I went back in my room. As soon as I sat down, I realized how stupid I was.

I forgot to escape.

I banged my head against the wall. How stupid could I be? I had the perfect opportunity when Itachi was sleeping. I groaned at my idiocy.

I started to cry. At this rate, I'll never get home. I'll be their captive forever, or, worse, my team will come to save me, and Naruto will get kidnapped. Just like I am.

I'm an idiot!


	14. Dishes

_Sakura P.O.V_

_Knock knock_

I pulled my face out of my hands and looked at the door. I wiped my tears and stood up. I tried not to look upset as I opened the door. I wasn't surprised to see Itachi at the door. What was surprising, was what he asked next.

He was looking down as he asked in a soft voice, "May I talk to you?"

I blinked twice. Itachi Uchiha, the most antisocial person I've ever met, just asked if he could talk to me. A part of me wanted to reject him, but another part of me wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. For all I know, he may tell me something that could change my life.

"S-Sure. What do you wanna talk about?" I asked as I let him in.

He thought about it for a moment. I could tell he was second guessing himself about coming to me. I walked over to the bed and had a seat.

"Well... I feel like you are a good person to talk to about... Stuff." He said.

"Itachi. I'm a medic, not a therapist." I said. I realized I said it a bit coldly. He looked up at me and frowned.

"Right. Nevermind." He said, and started to turn away. I just watched, biting my lip. I felt I should stop him, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

When he shut the door, I went back to calling myself an idiot in my head. Why didn't I stop him? He could have told me something important!

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

I don't know how long I was sitting there, but I figured it was an hour before Kisame came and told me it was dinnertime.

I walked into the kitchen and took my usual seat next to Itachi. It was awkward because of what happened earlier. I sat there, tense, as I ate my rice balls. I noticed Itachi barely touched his food.

When everyone was finished, Pain excused us.

"Sakura," Pain called. I turned around. "It's your turn to clean the kitchen. Have someone help you if you'd like."

I looked at Itachi. He froze, and looked at me.

"Will you help me?" I asked and gave him a puppy face. I couldn't believe how comfortable I'm getting around him. Before, I was afraid to be within even 20 feet of him. Now, I'm giving him puppy dog faces to help me with the dishes.

He smirked and nodded. We started by picking up our own , we picked up the rest.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

We cleaned the dishes in silence. Everyone was in bed now. It was 10:00pm, but we weren't finished yet. Suddenly, Itachi broke the silence.

"I used to help my mother with the dishes."

I turned and looked at him. He had a small smile on his lips. It confused me. Why would he say that with a smile? Was he just that messed up, or was there something everyone was missing.

"What's with you?!" I snapped, "You killed you're whole family and ruined your brother's life, but you're not as mean as everyone thinks! Why aren't you mean?!"

He looked at me. There was a sad look to his eyes. He set his dishes down. He wouldn't look at me anymore.

"You will never know." Was all he said.

"Why not?! I wanna know! I wanna know why you ruined everyone's life!"

He clenched his fists. He looked mad, and it was a bit scary. He whipped around to look at me. His Sharingan was on.

"You don't know anything," He said in a quiet, scary voice, "You don't know what war is like. You don't know what it's like to have your whole life ruined from one mission. You're naive."

_Have you're whole life ruined in one mission? _What was he talking about?

"What? 'Have your whole life ruined in one mission'? What do you mean?" I asked. He froze. His eyes widened.

I was about to get a history lesson.


	15. History

_Sakura P.O.V_

Itachi and I just stood there, staring at each other. I looked into his eyes. There was a mixture of emotions: Sadness, anger, and... Fear.

"Itachi..." I started, "What did you mean."

He gulped. "I got tell you here. Let's finish the dishes." He replied. His face went back to being emotionless.

He finished the dishes in awkward, uncomfortable silence.

When we were finished, I asked, "Will you tell me now? We can go in my room in you want."

He sighed. "Fine..."

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

We walked into my room. I sat on one side of the bed, and Itachi sat on the other. I could tell he was hesitating to tell me whatever he was going to tell me. That just made me all the more anxious.

"Alright... It all goes back to the Era of Warring Clans. Do you know about that?" He started. I shook my head.

"Well, the two clans, Uchiha and Senju, hated each other. The two clan heads Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju always fought. Eventually, though, they came to an agreement. This agreement led to the building of the Leaf village.

"Everything was going great, until Madara decided to leave the Leaf. One day he came back and fought Hashirama Senju in, what is now known as, The Valley of the End."

_Where Sasuke and Naruto fought before Sasuke left. _I thought.

"Madara supposedly died that day."

"_Supposedly?!_" I interrupted, "he did die that die, right?"

"No. Everyone thought he did, still thinks he did, but he didn't. He's still alive to this day." This shocked me.

Itachi continued, "Madara came back to the Leaf sixteen years ago. He tried to destroy it, again. This time, he had the nine-tailed fox with him."

My eyes widened. _Madara Uchiha _cause the nine-tails attack?! The one that cause the nine-tails to be sealed inside of Naruto?!

"This attacked failed, too. The fourth Hokage defeated Madara, and sealed the nine-tails in side your teammate, Naruto." He paused.

"Some people suspected the Uchiha had something to do with it. I mean, they did, but it was only one of them. They didn't even know about it. The Uchiha found out about these accusations, and were angry." I didn't like where this was going.

"Why would they accuse the Uchiha?" I asked.

"The Mangekyo Sharingan has the ability of controlling the nine-tails. Because of this, they thought the Uchiha had planned on attacking the village." He paused.

"Their accusations eventually became reality." I gasped. The Uchiha planned on attacking the village?!

"The Uchiha plotted a coup d'etat to overthrow the village. My father, the clan head, was the person in charge of it. He ordered me to spy on the higher-ups because I was in ANBU. He said I was the 'pipeline.'

"I informed the third Hokage of their actions, and he ordered me to spy on them, too. I became a double agent.

"The third tried to reason with the Uchiha, but to no avail. Danzo came to me separately and told me to make a decision. The village or the clan. It was a tough decision, but then I thought about Sasuke. The coup d'etat would cause a war, and I didn't want to have Sasuke go through that. Not like me."

"You saw a war?" I asked.

"The third shinobi war." I nodded.

"With that in mind I made my decision." He said.

"To wipe-out the whole Uchiha clan." I said. He nodded, and looked away.

Tears formed in my eyes. I felt so bad. This man, this kind-hearted man, had to suffer through all the hatred and accusations from the people he protected. He was not a monster, he was a _hero._

"I-I'm so sorry!" I cried.

"It's not your fault." He replied.

"You don't deserve this. You don't deserve to suffer. Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I wanted Sasuke to be proud of our clan. I also knew that if the village knew of the Uchiha's plans, they would shun Sasuke."

That just made me cry even more. I reached out and hugged him. He tensed. I knew he wasn't used to this kind of contact. Most of the contact he received was either painful, or by accident.

The next action I did surprised not only him, but myself. I lifted my neck, and kissed him.


	16. Love

_Sakura P.O.V_

I pulled back with wide eyes. I can't believe I just did that. Itachi seemed pretty shocked, too. His mouth was open, and his eyes were also wide.

"W-why did you do that?" He stuttered.

"I-I honestly don't know. I just...acted. I'm sorry." I replied.

"Don't you still love my brother?" He asked.

I thought about that. Do I?He left me lying on a bench in the middle of the night. His goal is to kill an innocent person.

But then again, he doesn't know Itachi isn't evil. He doesn't know Itachi killed his clan to protect him and the village. He still had no reason to leave on lying on that bench, though.

"I...I don't know anymore." I sobbed. Tears spilled out of my eyes. I'm so confused. I just kissed the brother of the man I love. Do I even love him anymore, though?

"I'll leave you alone." Itachi said. He stood up and walked out the door, leaving me to my thoughts.

Do I love Sasuke?

Do I love _Itachi?_

No...I can't love Itachi...right? I just stopped hating him like 5 minutes ago. I just learned that he's not evil.

I just learned I don't want him to die.

That realization hit me. I don't want Itachi to die. He doesn't deserve to. Who am I to stop Sasuke, though? That has been his goal since he was 8 years old.

I decided to just forget about it, and go to sleep.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

I woke up the next morning and looked at the clock. _8:09AM. _Not too early, but not too late.

I sat up, and rubbed my eyes. I didn't hear anyone, like I normally would if somebody was up. I decided to stay in my room until someone else woke up. I picked up my book from the bedside table, and started reading.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

I just set my book down when I heard Hidan yelling at Kakuzu. Apparently, Kakuzu walked in on Hidan doing a ritual. I also heard Deidara open his door and yell at Hidan to shut up. I decided to go pick out another book.

I walked out my door, and they all turned to look at me. I froze. It was kind of nerve racking to have all these criminals staring at me.

"Did they wake you up, too, hmm?" Deidara broke the silence.

"No," I replied, "I was just going to get another book."

"You actually read those fucking things? Those are really just for looks." Hidan said. I just shrugged and continued walking.

"Hey! Will you make breakfast again, hmm? It was really good the last time you made it." Deidara asked.

"Sure." I was actually happy he would ask me that. I didn't think I was that good of a cook.

I walked into the kitchen, and took out all the supplies I would need to make tamagoyaki (rolled omelet). While I was serving it, I realized I should save Itachi some. I put some aside for him, and served everyone.

We were all talking, when Itachi walked in to the kitchen. He looked at everyone, before walking over to the cabinets. I guess he thought we didn't save some for him again.

"I saved you some, Itachi." I said. Everyone stopped what they were doing, and turned to look at me.

"It's over there." I pointed to were I put it. He looked shocked as he walked over and grabbed it.

We all finished our breakfast in silence.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

I was sitting in my room reading my new book when someone knocked on my door. What could they possibly want? I opened the door. Itachi was standing there.

"Do you need something?" I asked.

"Thank you for saving me breakfast." He stated simply.

"Uh, sure. I just figured I would save you some because you said you only eat dinner." I replied. He nodded.

"Can I talk to you about something?" He asked.

"Yeah." I let him in, and closed the door. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Sasuke."

I froze. _Sasuke? _Why him? 

"What about him?" I asked in a shaky voice.

"Sasuke and I are supposed to fight soon, and-"

"_What?! _How do you know?!"

"Sakura, I've been planning on this fight since the day I decided to kill my clan." He stated with a smirk.

"Anyway," he continued, "I'm planning on dying at the end of that fight."

"_What?!" _I interrupted again, "why?!"

"So Sasuke can return to the Leaf as the hero who killed the clan killer. May I continue now?" He asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"Yes." I grunted.

"When I die, I want you and Naruto to make sure he goes back to the Leaf. Do you remember how I told you Madara is still alive?"

"Yeah."

"Well, he's going to try and tell Sasuke the truth so he'll turn on the Leaf. I need you guys to make sure you get Sasuke before that happens."

I stood there stunned. "O-OK. But, wait, how are you planning on dying? I mean, are you just gonna let Sasuke stab you or what?"

"No. I'm going to push Sasuke to his limit without killing him. That way, it won't look suspicious. Also, that way I can get rid of his curse mark."

"How?" That seemed impossible.

"He has killed Orochimaru and absorbed his power. So-"

"_What?!_" This conversation is just full of surprises. "He killed Orochimaru?"

"And absorbed his power," Itachi added. "He has formed a team, and is heading to kill me. Leader has informed us of this. Deidara went after to try and kill him. But I doubt he can.

"Back to the curse mark. I'm going to push him to his limits, so he will be forced to use Orochimaru's power. Either Orochimaru or something Orochimaru related will come out of his shoulder. I plan on sucking that up with my Totska blade, therefore sucking out the curse mark."

"That doesn't answer my question on how you plan on dying." I said.

"I'm not going to take my medicine the day of our fight. So, I'll die of my disease. Sasuke won't know that, though. He'll think he killed me."

Tears formed in my eyes. This just isn't fair! Itachi and Sasuke deserve to be back in the Leaf with there family. Stupid Madara. Stupid Danzo. Stupid Uchiha.

"Why are you crying? Sasuke won't die." Itachi said.

"I'm crying because of _you_, idiot!" I cried, and hugged him.

"I'm sorry, Sakura." He hugged me back. "I have to go now. I'm going to give Naruto some of my power."

I pulled back. "Why? What are you giving him?"

"A crow with my best friend, Shisui's, Mangekyo Sharingan implanted in it. It will put Sasuke in genjutsu that protects the Leaf if he tries to attack it. I have to go now." He started walking off but I stopped him.

"Wait!" He turned around. I ran up and kissed him.

"I don't love Sasuke. I love you. But no matter what I do, I know it won't stop you from leaving. Goodbye, Itachi."


	17. The Search

_Sakura P.O.V_

As soon as Itachi closed the door, I burst into tears. Why do the men I love always leave me? First Sasuke, now Itachi. Worst of all, I can never stop them or save them.

I'm _useless! _I can't even save the people I love or care about!

Wait... I have the perfect opportunity. I probably won't be able to stop Itachi before he gets to Naruto...but I can stop him and Sasuke from fighting. I put my headband in my pocket, and ran out the room.

How am I going to get passed the Akatsuki without being noticed? I walked out into the living room. Nobody was there. Well, that makes it _way _easier.

I ran down the forbidden hallway. I stopped at the front door, and took a deep breath. I grabbed the doorknob, and opened the door.

Huh, no one came. I took one step out and...

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! RING!

Oh crap, I forgot about my seal.

I ran out the door, and hid in the nearest bush. Surprisingly, nobody came running out the door looking for me. Maybe nobody was at the base at all. I waited about 5 minutes before running off again.

_How am I going to find Itachi? _I asked myself. I can try and sense his chakra, but I'm not a sensory type. I tried to sense it, but couldn't. He must have hid his chakra.

But... I did sense another presence. A familiar presence. _Seven _familiar presences.

"Hey! I smell Sakura!" I heard Kiba yell.

"Wear?!" Naruto demanded.

"Right behind us!"

I ran faster. I saw Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Captain Yamato, Kaskashi-sensei, Sai, and Naruto.

"Sakura!" Naruto and ran towards me.

"Wear did you come from?" Kakashi asked.

"The Akatsuki hideout." I replied.

"What?! No way!" Naruto yelled.

After everyone calmed down a little, I started talking again. "OK. I'm about to tell you something _really _unbelievable. But, you have to believe me. No interrupting me in the middle, either. Let me finish before you say anything." Everyone nodded.

I told them all I knew about Itachi and the Uchiha Clan Massacre.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

When I finished, I was holding back tears. Everyone was staring at me with wide eyes and open mouths.

"N-No way. It was really a mission?" Naruto asked. I nodded.

"So...Everything Sasuke left the village for...wasn't true?" Kiba asked.

"Yes."

"We have to stop Sasuke." Kakashi-sensei said.

"I know. But we might be too late." I said with tears in my eyes.

"Well... There's no other way to find out but to find them." Captain Yamato said.

With that, we rushed off to find Sasuke and Itachi.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

As soon as we got there, I lost all hope. The whole building was crumbled to ruins.

"Oh no." I whispered under my breath. Kakashi put a hand on my shoulder. We ran over to see what happened.

We found Sasuke and Itachi both on the floor. Neither of them were conscious. I ran straight to Itachi, which seemed to shock everyone.

I put my ear against his chest. There was no sign he was breathing. I put two fingers against his pulse and waited for a minute...

There was a pulse.

"His hearts beating! But he's not breathing!" I called.

I put my hands against his chest, and pumped medical chakra into his lungs. I waited until I was almost out of chakra before I started to lose hope.

"Come on. Come on Itachi. Stick with me." I mumbled.

Finally, he gasped.

"Yes! He's alive!" I smiled. Everyone turned to look at me.

"Alright then. Let's take him back to the village." Kakashi said.

With that, we headed of to the Leaf.


	18. Village

_Sakura P.O.V_

We rushed back to the Leaf. Kakashi carried Itachi, and Naruto carried Sasuke. I was leading the way because I was so anxious.

"Sakura, slow down. Itachi and Sasuke aren't light." Kakashi said. I slowed down.

"Sorry." I said. Then I realized that I should probably check on Itachi and make sure he was breathing.

"Stop for a minute and let me check on Itachi." I told Kakashi.

Everyone stopped, and I walked over to Itachi. After I checked and made sure he was alive, we headed off again.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

It was about another 30 minutes before the gates to the Leaf came into view. It felt good to see them since I haven't been home in a while.

How long was I gone for, anyway?

"How long was I gone for?" I asked.

"A week and two days." Naruto said. Was he counting everyday I was gone? It wouldn't be surprising.

We greeted the gatekeepers, and sped off to the Hokage tower. Along the way, we got alot of fearful stares. Most of them were directed at Itachi. It made me angry.

Then again, they didn't know the truth about him. I will make sure that Tsunade-shishou will clear his name. Suddenly, everyone came to a stop.

"I think we will part with you guys, now." Kiba said.

"See you later." Me, Naruto, Kakashi, Sai, and Yamato said. The rest of the way to the Hokage Tower was silent.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

"You found him?" Tsunade asked.

"Not only him, but also Itachi Uchiha." I said. Her eyes went wide.

"Itachi Uchiha?! How did you get _him?!" _

"He was dead when we found him, Sasuke defeated him, but I got him breathing again."

"Why?! You know he's an S-Class criminal. Besides, that was Sasuke's intention!"

"Well, you see, Tsunade-shishou, I have something to tell you."

With that, I told her Itachi's story, too.

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

"Stupid old bastards. I wasn't surprised that Danzo and the Elders would do that, but Sensei? Now _that _was surprising." Tsunade said when I was done telling my story.

"What are you going to do?" Naruto asked, "Are you going to let him stay in the village?"

Tsunade thought about that. "I don't think so. It will-"

"WHAT?!" Naruto and I yelled in unison. It just isn't fair! Itachi _deserves _to live in the village he protected!

"Let me finish!" Tsunade yelled, "It will upset the villagers. I can't tell them what really happened. That will make them lose trust in the village. They'll want to know what other secrets we're keeping."

"When I heard I wasn't like that." I said. Kakashi and Naruto nodded in agreement.

"I'm talking about the civilians. Ninja already know that the village has dark secrets."

"Can't he live with someone in secret?" Kakashi suggested.

"That's actually not a bad idea... We'll discuss that with him when he wakes up."

Just then, Sasuke started to stir.


	19. What I Learned

_**A/N: OK. I know I said a while ago that I wouldn't do Author's Notes any more. But, I got a review saying that someone wanted Sasuke's recount from his battle with Itachi. I can't do that because this whole story is from Sakura's P.O.V. Sorry for any disappointments.**_

_Sakura P.O.V_

We all watched as Sasuke started waking up. He got off Naruto's back, rubbed his eyes, and looked around.

"Naruto? Sakura?" He said. I could tell he was a little dazed.

"You're back in the Leaf, Sasuke." Kakashi said as he stepped forward.

Sasuke looked at Kakashi's face, then at his back. He scowled, and reached for his sword. He looked shocked when he couldn't feel it.

"I knew this would happen, so I disarmed you." Kakashi explained to him.

"Why did you bring my brother here? I thought he was dead!"

"He was," I stepped forward, "but I saved him. I have a story to tell you, Sasuke."

"Why would you save him?! He's a monster! He killed my whole family!"

"To protect you and this village." I said. His eyes went wide, but then his face twisted in anger.

"Why should I believe you? You're just saying that to get me to come back to the village!"

"She's telling the truth, Sasuke!" Naruto butt in, "Itachi killed your clan because the Elders told him to!"

Sasuke's eyes went wide, and his mouth dropped open. "W-Why? How do you know?"

"Itachi told me." I replied, "and to answer your first question, the Uchiha were planning a coup d'etat against the village."

"Why would you believe Itachi?!" Sasuke asked.

"It's true. I just got a message from the Elders." Tsunade said.

Sasuke got tears in his eyes. I was shocked. I've never seen Sasuke cry before. I could tell Naruto was shocked, too.

"Itachi... You were always the caring older brother...You never did change." Sasuke mumbled.

"I think we should send you guys to the hospital now. Sakura, stay here. Naruto and Kakashi, take them to the hospital." Tsunade ordered.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." We replied in unison.

"What did you wanna talk about?" I asked once the door was closed.

"I want you to tell me all you know about Itachi Uchiha."

"Um...OK. Let's see where do I start..." I mumbled, "well, first I learned that he has a deadly illness."

"Could you identify what it was?"

"No. It's a very odd illness."

"Alright. Continue."

"I also learned that he only eats one meal a day." I said, "he only eats dinner."

"Unhealthy bastard." Tsunade mumbled. I giggled and nodded.

"Then, I found out about the Uchiha Clan Massacre..." I thought about it. W hat else did I learn about Itachi?

"I... I didn't really learn anything else, Tsunade-shishou." I said.

"You learned alot more than anybody else probably would have got out of him."

I thought about that. She was right. Itachi is a very anti-social, secretive person. He didn't want to tell me anything. He just slipped up. I can't tell if that's a bad thing or not. I think it is, though, because now he didn't die.

"That's all. Thank you, Sakura." Tsunade said. I bowed slightly, and ran off to the hospital.


	20. Hospital Visits

_Sakura P.O.V_

"What room is Sasuke Uchiha in?" I asked the nurse at the front desk of the hospital.

"What relation are you to him?" She asked. She was obviously new. Everyone else who works in the hospital knows how I was in love with him.

"He's my teammate."

She nodded, "OK. He's in room 7."

"Thanks," I said, and sped off.

I rushed down the hallway. I glanced at the numbers as I ran. I stopped once I came to room seven. I heard Naruto yelling at Sasuke. I knocked on the door, and the yelling stopped.

Naruto came to the door and opened it. "Oh. Hi, Sakura!" He gave me a grin, and moved to the looked at me when I walked in.

"Not gonna say hi to me, huh, Sasuke? Still anti-social, I see." I teased, although I knew I wasn't going to get a grin out of him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked emotionlessly. I frowned.

"I just wanted to see my teammate that I haven't seen in _three years_. Is there something wrong with that?"

"Hn."

_Just like Itachi. _

"Whatever. What room is your brother in?" I asked. Suddenly, Sasuke got angry.

"They won't tell me! I kept asking, but they refuse to tell me! They kept saying something about him not being _stable _enough to see me!" He said.

"Alright then. See you guys later." I said, and walked out.

I walked down the hallway, looking for Itachi's name on a door. I found it on room 12. I'll have to remember that for the next time I visit him. I tried the door knob, but it was locked. I pulled out my key, and unlocked it.

"Hello, Sakura." I turned around to see Shizune. I smiled.

"Hello, Shizune-san. It's been a while."

"Yes, it has. I'm assuming you're here to visit?" She asked. I nodded.

"He's sleeping, but he is conscious. He woke up about ten minutes ago."

"That's good. I'll see you later, Shizune." With that, I walked into Itachi's room.

As soon as I walked in, his eyes opened. It must be his reflexes. He looked dazed for a moment, but then he acknowledged me.

"Sakura?" He said, unsure.

"Yeah, It's me, Itachi. How are you feeling?"

He sat up and winced as he did so. "I'm in alot of pain."

I nodded. "That's not surprising." I pulled up a chair next to his bed. "Where does it hurt the most?"

"My chest, actually."

"Has Shizune done a check-up on you yet?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Did she tell you anything?"

"I have something called MPA."

I cocked my head to the side. "Microscopic Polyangiitis? That makes sense, I guess. You know there's medicines better than what you were taking for it, right?" He nodded.

"Did she prescribe these to you?"

"Yes."

It was silent for a moment.

"I...I told Naruto, Kakashi, Sai, and Team Kurenai about you. Also, the Hokage."

He nodded. "I know. Shizune told me. She also told me you told Sasuke."

I bit my lip. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "There's nothing to apologize for. I just want to know something."

"What?"

"Do you love me?"


	21. Do You Sill Love Me?

_Sakura P.O.V_

My eyes widened. Did he really forget? I already told him I loved him! It wasn't that long ago either. Did he hit his head or something?!

"You idiot!" I yelled. "I already admitted that I loved you!"

"I know," He said, "but I thought that now that you saw Sasuke again, you would love him."

My eyes widened, and tears formed in my eyes. Why would he think that? I hugged him.

"No! I still love you, idiot..." I sobbed. To my surprise, he hugged me back.

"I'm sorry, I should have re-worded my question." He said. I just shook my head, sobbing to much to form words.

We sat like that for a while. Just then, someone knocked on the door, making us both jump. I untangled myself from him, and opened the door. Standing at the door was Tsunade and Kakashi.

"Sakura? What are you doing in here?" Tsunade asked. I blushed, and looked down. Kakashi just winked at me. I figured he already guessed that I loved Itachi.

"Whatever. You can stay. I just need to talk to Itachi." She pushed passed me, Kakashi in tow.

Tsunade sat in the chair I was sitting in, leaving Kakashi and I to stand. She just stared at Itachi for a moment before breaking the silence.

"You're where Jiraiya got his information from, aren't you?" She asked. Itachi nodded.

"I don't know if you care or not, but Jiraiya died."

I gasped. Does Naruto know? If he does, how is he taking the news? I'm a little chocked up myself.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Itachi said simply.

"Does Naruto know?" I interrupted.

"Yes. He's very upset." Tsunade replied. "Anyway, Itachi, I want to thank you for that information."

"That's the only reason why I joined the Akatsuki."

"To get information?" Tsunade asked. Itachi nodded.

"I have another matter to discuss. It's about where you're going to be living."

I looked at Kakashi. I figured he was here because he volunteered for Itachi to live with him. I think Itachi had the same idea, too, because he glanced at him.

"Do you want to stay in the village?" Tsunade asked, "Or do you wanna live in a smaller civilian village?"

Itachi thought about that for a moment. I really hoped he would stay in the village. I knew it would cause unwanted memories, though, and I wanted him to be happy.

"Where would I stay if I lived in the village?" Itachi asked.

"Well, Kakashi volunteered for you to live with him," Tsunade said. Kakashi waved. "But Naruto volunteered, also."

"Me too," I said.

"Sakura, you still live with your parents." Tsunade said. I blushed and looked down.

"Where will Sasuke be staying?" Itachi asked.

"With Naruto. So if you choose to live with Naruto, you'll have to share a room with Sasuke."

"What about the villagers?"

Tsunade bit her lip. I could tell the answer wasn't a good one. "Well... They don't know the truth... But I told them to leave you alone."

"They're not taking it well, are they?" Itachi asked.

"No."

"I...I think I'll live in the village." Itachi answered.


	22. The End

_**A/N: I just want to thank all you wonderful readers for taking the time to read my story. This is the last chapter!**_

_Sakura P.O.V_

I smiled. For a second, I thought Itachi was going to say that he didn't want to stay in the village. Even if he did, it would be understandable.

"That's great. Where would you like to stay?" Tsunade asked.

"Is there a possibility that I can have my own home?" Itachi asked. I could tell he wasn't comfortable with the idea of living in someone else's home.

Tsunade shook her head. "No. Now can you hurry up and decide?! I have other things to do!"

"I guess I'll stay with Naruto..."

"Great. You move in tomorrow." With that, Tsunade and Kakashi left.

"I'm glad you decided to live here." I said.

Itachi looked down. I could tell this was all very nerve wracking for him. I walked over and gave him a hug. To my surprise, he started to cry.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned.

"This isn't what I planned for! I was supposed to die back at the fight. Sasuke was supposed to be the _only _one who came home! He's supposed to be the hero!" Itachi cried.

"I know this wasn't what you _planned _for," I said. I looked him in the eyes, and took his hand in mine, "but what about what you _wanted_? Don't you want to be in the village you love and protected? With the brother you love?"

He flinched. I could tell he hasn't thought about that.

"Itachi," I started, "you haven't been happy in _years_. You can be happy now with the people you love around you... Don't you see that?"

He nodded.

"Alright. I'll help you move in with Naruto tomorrow. I think it's best if you get some rest, now."

**XXX-LINEBREAK-XXX**

"How are we going to fit Itachi _and _Sasuke into one room?" I asked Naruto.

"Oh yeah... I didn't think about that..." He replied.

I sighed. Naruto can be such an idiot. "We could move Sasuke's stuff over to the right side, and put Itachi's stuff on the left side." I suggested.

"Alright! Let's go!"

We were moving Itachi's stuff into Naruto's apartment. Sasuke's stuff was already there, since he went home yesterday. We just moved his stuff from his old apartment into to Naruto's apartment.

Itachi was a different story. Since he was only thirteen when he left, all of his furniture in his old home was a little small and childish. His old bed was way to small, so small his legs could hang off it. We had to buy him all new furniture.

Once we were finished putting everything in, we had dinner and talked. Of course we had ramen for dinner, we were at Naruto's.

"Hey, Itachi?" Naruto asked, "are you still gonna be a ninja?"

Itachi shook his head. "Even if I wanted to be one, I doubt they would let me."

"Oh." Naruto sounded a little bummed out. Sasuke glared at Naruto from across the table. I giggled.

I think I'll enjoy this new life.

_The End_

_**A/N: PM if you want me to make a couple one-shots off this story. **_


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